Pakistan - Could the government have prevented the violence?Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Government authorities in Pakistan stand accused of failing to protect a vulnerable Christian community who fled their quarter and watched helplessly as their homes were robbed and set ablaze.

Bishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore blamed the provincial Government of the Punjab for failing to act when a dispute between two men spiraled into attack in which a 3,000-strong mob attacked the city’s Joseph Colony, a Christian quarter where 180 homes and two churches were burnt. No one was killed.

Speaking Monday, March 11th, from the scene of the devastation, Bishop Shaw, Apostolic Administrator of Lahore Archdiocese, said the attack on Saturday, March 9th was “well organized” and could have been averted by adequate police protection.

In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Shaw said, “The government is to blame; they are responsible. They knew two days before about the threat of this attack happening.”

Stating that the mob “used chemicals which only the Army and other agencies have,”Bishop Shaw said, “People are very, very angry and sad.”

“They are sad because they have lived together with the rest of the community for a long, long time. Now they are asking: ‘Why is this happening to us?’”

He said, “The situation is very, very pathetic. It is difficult to even look at the people when you see them in a state such as this.”

Bishop Shaw went on to urge the international community to renew calls to amend Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws.

He was speaking after it emerged that the violence in Joseph Colony was sparked by a dispute in which Muslim man Shafiq Ahmed accused sanitary worker Sawan Masih, a Christian man in his 20s, of making defamatory comments against the Prophet Mohammed, a crime punishable by death according to 295C of Pakistan’s Penal Code.

Despite initial investigations disproving the allegations, a growing mob of extremists began pelting the homes of more than 150 Christian families and dispersing chemicals.

As the tension mounted, police arrested Mr. Masih and charged him with blasphemy.

Bishop Shaw said that Dr. Paul Bhatti, Minister of National Harmony and Minority Affairs, alerted police and civil authorities to the threat of possible attack on Christians in Joseph Colony on at least two occasions.

Speaking to ACN, Dr. Bhatti said, “It is a very sad situation. Now we are trying to overcome this shocking situation.”

“We are speaking to the Government of Punjab to follow it up and do what is possible to ensure that this will not happen again.”

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari responded to the attack by announcing $5,000 compensation for the victims, including rebuilding their homes.

Bishop Shaw said, “Even this amount of money will not heal the wounds and psychological fears of the people.”